The news: H&M has begun selling on the Nordstrom Marketplace, marking the first time the Swedish fashion brand has entered a US marketplace.

• The retailer will offer a curated assortment spanning women’s, men’s, and kids’ apparel, along with its H&M Move activewear collection.
• The move follows H&M outlining its omnichannel strategy last month, aimed at reaching consumers wherever and whenever they choose to shop, including its stores, its website, social media, and marketplaces.

Why is this happening? Nordstrom is a natural entry point for H&M’s US marketplace push. The department store has taken a deliberate approach, using its platform to offer an expanded but curated assortment that aligns with its premium positioning.

For brands like H&M, that approach provides access to a more curation-oriented shopper base while minimizing the brand dilution often associated with high-volume, discount-driven marketplaces.

Implications for retailers: In a challenging macro environment, it makes sense for brands to expand their reach—but how they do so matters just as much as where. Online marketplaces are a natural avenue, with US marketplace sales expected to grow 8.0% this year, outpacing the broader ecommerce market, according to our forecast. But which marketplaces to sell on is increasingly a brand decision, not just a distribution one.

H&M’s choice of Nordstrom over a larger marketplace signals the company’s focus on targeting a specific customer segment rather than maximizing its reach. The partnership offers access to shoppers who value curation and service, reinforcing H&M’s positioning.

The trade-off is scale. Nordstrom’s audience is smaller than mass platforms, and converting those shoppers into repeat H&M customers will require consistent assortment updates and active management.

More broadly, brands evaluating marketplace expansion should weigh two factors: the incremental audience they can reach and whether the platform environment strengthens or dilutes their brand.